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13 permits · verified 2026-09-11

What permits do you need to open a childcare centre in Honolulu County?

In short

A childcare centre in Honolulu County, HI has 2 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 11 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and Permitting charges $150 one-time, per tax map key (TMK) parcel for the special management area (sma) permit determination. 5 of the 13 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-11 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a childcare centre in Honolulu County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Conditional Use Permit (Minor) — Child or Adult Daycareonly if it applies to youCity and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and Permitting$400 non-refundable Initial Review fee, plus a Processing fee of $800 plus $300 per acre (or major fraction, .5 or greater) of the project site, capped at $15,000, per the Department's own current application instructions for this specific Minor CUP category (Communication Tower in the P-2/AG-1/AG-2 Districts, Small Meeting Facility, Child or Adult Daycare, PreK-12 School, and minor hotels up to 180 units in the BMX-3 District).one-time, per application2026-09-11
Child Care LicenseHawaii Department of Human Services, Child Care Licensing ProgramFee not published — every official application page lists the required forms without stating a dollar amount anywhere1 to 2 years, depending on how long the provider has already been licensed2026-09-04

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

Local permits that apply to every type of business in Honolulu County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
General Business License — City and County of Honolulu positiononly if it applies to youCity and County of Honolulu, Department of Customer Services, Business License SectionNo feenot applicable2026-09-11
Building Plan Review Feeonly if it applies to youCity and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and PermittingVaries — formula on the Honolulu County pageone-time, per project2026-09-11
Fire Plans Review Feeonly if it applies to youHonolulu Fire Department, Fire Prevention BureauVaries — formula on the Honolulu County pageone-time, per project2026-09-11
Commercial Building Permit & Certificate of OccupancyCity and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and PermittingVaries — formula on the Honolulu County pageone-time, per project2026-09-11
Special Management Area (SMA) Permit Determinationonly if it applies to youCity and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and Permitting$150 one-time, per tax map key (TMK) parcelone-time, per property2026-09-11
Zoning Verificationonly if it applies to youCity and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and PermittingNo feeone-time, per request2026-09-11
Zoning Varianceonly if it applies to youCity and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and Permitting$2,400 one-time — $400 non-refundable Initial Review fee plus a $2,000 Processing feeone-time, per application2026-09-11

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

HI registrations that apply to every type of business

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
General Business License — Hawaii positiononly if it applies to youHawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration DivisionNo feenot applicable2026-09-04
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youHawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division$51 one-time filing, including the $1 state archives feeperpetual, but an annual report is due every year2026-09-04
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youHawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division$51 one-time filing, including the $1 state archives feeperpetual, but an annual report is due every year2026-09-04
Annual Reportonly if it applies to youHawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division$15 a year on paper; a $10 late fee applies per year delinquentannual — due at the end of the calendar quarter containing the entity's own original registration date2026-09-04

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

How much does it actually cost to permit a childcare centre in Honolulu County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 13 records listed for a childcare centre in Honolulu County, HI, 2 apply to every business of this type and 11 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

5 of the 13 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 3 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Conditional Use Permit (Minor) — Child or Adult Daycare: $400 non-refundable Initial Review fee, plus a Processing fee of $800 plus $300 per acre (or major fraction, .5 or greater) of the project site, capped at $15,000, per the Department's own current application instructions for this specific Minor CUP category (Communication Tower in the P-2/AG-1/AG-2 Districts, Small Meeting Facility, Child or Adult Daycare, PreK-12 School, and minor hotels up to 180 units in the BMX-3 District).

Child Care License: Fee not published — every official application page lists the required forms without stating a dollar amount anywhere

The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Honolulu County permits page and the HI state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Honolulu County?

Permits for a childcare centre in Honolulu County, HI come from 5 separate offices: City and County of Honolulu, Department of Customer Services, Business License Section, City and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and Permitting, Honolulu Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau, Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division, Hawaii Department of Human Services, Child Care Licensing Program. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

What does a childcare centre need in Honolulu County that other businesses do not?

2 of the 2 permits particular to a childcare centre here apply to no other business type we cover in Honolulu County: Conditional Use Permit (Minor) — Child or Adult Daycare and Child Care License.

Conditional Use Permit (Minor) — Child or Adult Daycare

This is a genuine, specifically named, and currently priced local zoning pathway for a Honolulu childcare facility, layered on top of, not instead of, Hawaii's own state Child Care License (Department of Human Services) recorded at the state layer. It applies where 'Child or Adult Daycare' is not a permitted use outright in the property's zoning district and instead requires this Minor Conditional Use Permit; a Presentation to the neighborhood board or community association is also required before submitting the application. A public hearing may be required at the Director's discretion, which extends the review timeframe from 45 to 90 calendar days.

Child Care License

Hawaii licenses group child care centres and homes as a genuine requirement, and separately registers a smaller family child care home caring for three to six unrelated children under Hawaii Administrative Rules chapters 17-891.1 and 17-891.2. No fee applies: the governing rule's own table of contents runs from Application (§17-891.2-2) through Inspection and issuance of certificate, Fines, and roughly eighty further sections of administration, program and staffing requirements without ever titling or setting a registration fee, and the rule's only use of the word 'fee' is the requirement that a provider's own written policies disclose what it charges parents for care (§17-891.2-11) — a private rate, not a government charge.

The other 7 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Honolulu County, HI; what each one involves is set out on the Honolulu County permits page. The 4 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across HI and are covered on the HI state page.

How does a childcare centre compare with other businesses in Honolulu County?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Conditional Use Permit (Minor) — Child or Adult Daycare and Child Care License. A auto repair shop needs Sign Permit, Conditional Use Permit (Minor) — General, Auto Repair Shop County License (not found) and Motor Vehicle Repair Dealer License, which a childcare centre does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Honolulu County, HI, compared with a childcare centre
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a childcare centreOnly a childcare centre needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops4024
Coffee shops4024
Contractors and trades5025
Fitness studios5025
Food trucks3023
Restaurants5025
Retail stores4024
Salons and barbers4024
Veterinary clinics4024

Sources

Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Honolulu County permits page and the HI state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Conditional Use Permit (Minor) — Communication Tower (P-2/AG-1/AG-2), Small Meeting Facility, Child or Adult Daycare, PreK-12 School, and minor BMX-3 hotels, Application Instructions — $400 non-refundable Initial Review fee plus a Processing fee of $800 plus $300/acre (or major fraction), capped at $15,000City and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and Permitting · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-11
  2. Zoning Permits — the Department's own current page listing Zoning Verification, Conditional Use Permit (Minor and Major), Zoning Variance, and Zoning Adjustment, with ordinance cross-references and links to each product's current instruction packetCity and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and Permitting · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-11
  3. Hawaii DHS — child care licensing application processHawaii Department of Human Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
  4. Hawaii Administrative Rules title 17, chapter 891.2 — Registration of Family Child Care Homes, full textHawaii Department of Human Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
  5. Hawaii Administrative Rules §17-891.1-1 and chapter 17-895 — definitions and general provisions (amendment, effective November 29, 2016)Hawaii Department of Human Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08

Related

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.